Protests planned to stop sale of Hofmann Forest

Published: Saturday, August 23, 2014 at 08:23 PM.

JACKSONVILLE | Opponents of the planned sale of Hofmann Forest will take a stand against the move with public events geared to raise awareness at the forest and in Raleigh.

Simultaneous protests will be held Monday, Aug. 25, beginning at noon at N.C. State University’s Brickyard Plaza and at Deppe Park in Onslow County, located on U.S. 17 northeast of Jacksonville.

While court action and university leadership involved in the sale plans are in Raleigh, the research forest at the center of the issue spans 79,000 acres in Onslow and Jones counties.

The local protest will be a peaceful opportunity for area residents to come together to take a stand and raise awareness about the issue that could mean the loss of a valuable natural resource right in the community’s back door, said organizer Jessica Hult.

Anyone with an interest in the issue is invited to attend between noon and 1 p.m. and join in holding signs and banners opposing the sale along U.S. 17 from the county line to the Jacksonville city limits.

Hult will have “Save Hofmann Forest” signs at Deppe Park and will be gathering contact information from area residents who attend. Or make your own sign and come on out.

“We want to get as many people out there as we can,” said Hult, who said has contacted Highway Patrol and law enforcement agencies so they are aware of the plans.

JACKSONVILLE | Opponents of the planned sale of Hofmann Forest will take a stand against the move with public events geared to raise awareness at the forest and in Raleigh.

Simultaneous protests will be held Monday, Aug. 25, beginning at noon at N.C. State University’s Brickyard Plaza and at Deppe Park in Onslow County, located on U.S. 17 northeast of Jacksonville.

While court action and university leadership involved in the sale plans are in Raleigh, the research forest at the center of the issue spans 79,000 acres in Onslow and Jones counties.

The local protest will be a peaceful opportunity for area residents to come together to take a stand and raise awareness about the issue that could mean the loss of a valuable natural resource right in the community’s back door, said organizer Jessica Hult.

Anyone with an interest in the issue is invited to attend between noon and 1 p.m. and join in holding signs and banners opposing the sale along U.S. 17 from the county line to the Jacksonville city limits.

Hult will have “Save Hofmann Forest” signs at Deppe Park and will be gathering contact information from area residents who attend. Or make your own sign and come on out.

“We want to get as many people out there as we can,” said Hult, who said has contacted Highway Patrol and law enforcement agencies so they are aware of the plans.

At the center of concerns is the sale of Hofmann, the largest state-owned forest in North Carolina, which has been used for the benefit of the university for 80 years, to a private agri-business based in Illinois.

N.C. State University officials have said little will change with the property under the pending $150 million sale; opponents fear otherwise, citing a leaked prospectus indicating the land will be converted to agriculture cropland and potentially commercial or residential development.

One of the potential impacts is to water quality, with the conversion of forest to agriculture or other uses leading to increased pollution from sediment and potentially pesticides and fertilizers in stormwater runoff.

Hult, president of the White Oak River Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, an organization dedicated to protecting the soil, air, woods and water of the United States, said it’s not a risk they should take.

Hofmann is also a part of a valuable network of wildlife habitat with the Croatan Forest, Holly Shelter and Camp Lejeune.

Hult said opponents of the sale want to see the forest continue under its intended use.

“We’ve been good stewards and would like that to continue,” she said.

A legal challenge of the sale is now before the N.C. Court of Appeals and the protests were scheduled to occur the day before oral arguments were to be heard.

The court dropped the oral arguments after the Natural Resources Foundation, a defendant in case, asked that the hearing be delayed until Sept. 30. Plaintiffs countered that oral arguments were not strictly necessary and are now anticipating a final ruling in the case soon.

Michael Murdoch and his wife, Deede Miller, members of the new Croatan Group of the Sierra Club, plan to attend. The Croatan Group has held programs about this issue and is against the sale.